Washington State
Curriculum Based Assessment [CBA] Links to the National Archives and Records Administration's Primary Documents located at [web]www.ourdocuments.gov
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8th Grade

Dig Deep (History, Geography)

Student assignment:

In a persuasive paper or presentation, you will:

  1. select a time period and describe the time period using specific primary sources,
  2. provide an interpretation of why a particular historical event (or related events) happened within this time period using specific primary sources, and
  3. explain the relationship between the geography of the time period and both how people lived and why events occurred.

Primary source documents from "Our Documents, 100 Milestone Source Documents from the National Archives and Records Administration," relating to this Curriculum Based Assessment [CBA]:

Important notes for using this section:

  • Following each sub-topic is a list representing specific documents that are believed to best illustrate a topic. Each document is linked to an interactive digital copy of the record itself, complete with description, background information, a transcribed copy [for convenience and for students having difficulty reading handwriting] and teaching suggestions, from the "Our Documents" web site [see [web]www.ourdocuments.gov]. Just click on the document title and it will take you to the specific "Our Documents" page.
  • In addition, there is a "Document Only" link which can be used in classrooms with fewer web connections. This is an "Adobe Acrobat" [.pdf] file and can be opened in advance and copied by the instructor or student directly, without a web connection, on any type of computer, as long as Adobe Acrobat is loaded on the computer. For a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat program [web]click here.

Sample Topics and Associated Primary Sources:

Revolution and the New Nation 1754 to 1829

Expansion and Reform 1801 to 1861

Civil War and Reconstruction 1850 to 1877

The Development of the Industrial United States 1870 to 1900

The Emergence of Modern America 1890 to 1930

The Great Depression and World War II 1929 to 1945

Postwar United States 1945 to 1970

Associated Washington State Standards {EALR}

  • History 1.2.2 - Identify and analyze major issues, people, and events in Washington State, U.S. and World History.
  • History 1.1.2b - Using evidence for support, identify, analyze, and explain possible causal factors contributing to given historical events.
  • Geography 1.2.2b - Analyze how human spatial patterns emerge from natural processes and human activities.

Scoring
EALR Scoring
(*for additional levels, see OSPI Scoring Rubric)
History 1.2.2 *at highest level... Historical account is a plausible description of the time period that is well supported by explicit references to three or more specific artifacts and/or primary sources. Account contains no inaccuracies.
History 1.1.2b *at highest level... Presents a plausible interpretation of two or more causes of a particular historical event (or related events) that is explicitly related to a central question/thesis and is well supported by artifacts and/or primary sources.
Geography 1.2.2b *at highest level... Provides a plausible and explicitly supported explanation about the relationship between the geography and both how people lived and why events occurred.
National Archives and Records Administration
6125 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska